To Care and Not to Care

 Hi! We've made it to November. And for most of us that feels like a feat. For most of us too, it also feels like we're *still* in the middle of whatever this is.  This, 2020... But here we are, at a different place than we were one month ago, one day away from a national election. Deep breaths everyone. I've been inspired by author and podcaster Emily P. Freeman to engage in a little reflection practice before we timidly set foot in yet another month. She says, " Intentional reflection is a way to bare witness to your own life. " And, " One common mistake we make when we have the desire to make good decisions is that we try to peer into the future to discover what it might hold, what the outcomes we want to achieve are, and what roadblocks we wish to avoid. The only problem is that the future hasn't happened yet, so how can it possibly teach us? Instead of looking ahead and guessing about outcomes, there's something to be said for looking back and ga...

Asleep My body moves in and out of dishes and babies and prepping meals, meals, meals. My ears catch snippets of news. More shootings, refugee resettlement act repealed, fires, ice melting. I turn an ear, shake my head and return to wiping up the spilled food. Moments of alone time are filled with other lives, fiction and nonfiction.  Nudge There's an unsettlement in my chest. Why is the Lord poking around in my heart? The Spirit prays within me. Give her the grace to give a damn. Give her the courage to believe that everything she does matters. Gentle. Compassionate. Powerful. Anger as Grace I am awakened. Grief and injustice overlooked, it is inflamed in my gut, hips and back. It tells me to pay attention. What happens when I start paying attention for the first time in years? Anger can take the form of many things - blame, grief, fear - and if these were the only forms I'd be limited ...